Perfect Homemade Cold Brew French Press Coffee

When the days get warmer, it’s time for cold brew coffee. It’s super easy to make, and you don’t need any fancy equipment: just a French press.

Learn the best tips and tricks for making the perfect cold brew at home every time by steeping it overnight in the refrigerator using a French press.

I do not have time to be fussing around with all sorts of coffee contraptions in the morning. This overnight French press cold brew coffee concentrate method is efficient, hands off, and perfect with any of my favorite quick and easy breakfast recipes.

Full disclosure here: I'm not usually a big coffee drinker. Caffeine makes me jittery more often than not. But when things get stressful or I need an extra kick in the morning (or, let's be honest, mid-afternoon) I have been known to dabble in a bit of coffee drinking.

I say this mainly to let you know that I am a beginner coffee maker and I am not particularly picky about my coffee. What I am particular about is finding the most efficient and practical ways to do things — and what I like most about making cold brew in a French press is how convenient and easy it is!

About This Recipe

I started making cold brew coffee in a French press early in the pandemic when mid-afternoon Starbucks runs were out of the question. I wanted to make coffee at home, but my coffee supply was running low and I was looking for ways to stretch it.

I saw Smitten Kitchen's cold brew iced coffee recipe, which involves mixing ground coffee with water in a mason jar, letting it sit overnight, and then straining it (twice) through a coffee filter in the morning.

At the time, I didn't have any coffee filters. But I did have a French press, which has a built in coffee filter. So I used that instead. It worked beautifully — and there was no need to mess with soggy coffee filters, either. A win-win!

NOTE: This type of cold brewing method makes a coffee concentrate which is meant to be mixed with water, milk, etc. No, that does not mean you're making watered down coffee. This coffee concentrate is just so strong that it's at its best when mixed with something else.

Basically, cold brew coffee made in a French press means you get twice as many cups of coffee as hot brewed French press coffee, because hot brewed French press coffee isn't a concentrate.

Whether you're a beginner coffee maker, want to skip the line at Starbucks, or just want to stretch your coffee budget further, making a large batch of cold brew at home is a great place to start.

This is a coffee concentrate. So yes, you can "cold brew" hot coffee.

The "cold" in "cold brew" refers to the brewing method, not the temperature at which you drink it. Depending on what you mix it with, you can drink it cold, hot, or even room temperature if that's what floats your boat.

This recipe for cold brew French press coffee concentrate is meant to be mixed with water or milk at a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. So, yes, while cold brew is popular in the summer for making iced coffee, it can actually be used to make hot or cold coffee drinks.

Personally, in warm weather I mix my cold brew concentrate with a chocolate protein shake (like these Fairlife Chocolate Protein Shakes) over ice for iced mocha vibes. In the winter, I mix my cold brew concentrate with hot cocoa for warm and cozy mocha vibes. What? Ya girl likes a mocha, so sue me.

Either way, the thing I like most about cold-brewed coffee is that I have more control over the amount of caffeine in my drink because it's a concentrate. If I want less caffeine, I dilute it more. More caffeine, I dilute it less.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press

The process for making cold brew coffee in a French press is the same as making hot coffee in a French press — it's just a lot longer.

Set it up at night (it takes five minutes), and you'll have cold brew coffee ready to go in the morning!

To start, you'll want to use coarsely ground coffee beans to make cold brew coffee. Coarsely ground coffee beans are traditionally used for cold brew coffee because they slow down the extraction process.

I grind my own coffee beans using a Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder set to a coarseness of 30, which is what the chart it came with said was best for a French press. (I'm not a coffee snob, I just do what the chart says. It's worked for me so far.)

My Preferred Cold Brew Coffee Ratio

I recommend a ratio of ¾ cups coffee grounds to every 4 cups of water. If you prefer a more intense coffee, you can do a straight 1:4 ratio of coffee to water, meaning for every 1 cup of coffee grounds, you use 4 cups of water.

Add water in two stages, trust me

Once you have the ground coffee in the French press, you'll want to add the water in two stages. This helps keep your French press filter clean, and prevents dry coffee grounds from spilling everywhere when you mix the water in.

When the French press is full, I usually don't stir it at all; I don't want to risk splashing any coffee grounds up above where the filter will go.

Brewing cold brew coffee takes a long time

When you make hot brewed coffee in a French press, you usually wait just a few minutes after stirring before pushing the plunger down. That's not the case when you make cold brew.

For cold brewed coffee in a French press, you're going to put the whole French press into the fridge or leave it on the counter "overnight." That's recipe developer-speak for anywhere from 12-24 hours.

I usually filter and strain my French press cold brew after about 12 hours. I think it tastes just fine, but like I said, I'm not very picky about my coffee. You may want to experiment with different brewing durations to figure out what you like best!

Once you press the French press plunger down, pour your cold brewed coffee concentrate into a large carafe, jar, or bottle. It is now ready to mix!

This recipe makes about 4 cups of coffee concentrate, which is enough for 8-16 cups of coffee.

Choose your favorite coffee jar, jug, or pitcher

Cold brew coffee concentrate can be stored in the fridge for 10-14 days (or until it starts to smell or taste funny) in an airtight container.

I usually use a large glass jar or bottle with a lid. A 33 oz glass bottle will be big enough to hold 4 cups of cold brew coffee concentrate.

IMPORTANT: Do not store your cold brew in the French press with all the coffee grounds — over-extracted coffee is unpleasant and bitter! Remove the coffee grounds if you plan on storing the cold brew in the French press.

📖 Recipe